I would tend to agree with going with the E8400.... for now if it will cost you less. The issue is within 1 year I wont be surprised if most new games coming out are using 3+ threads. THW had done a study that shows that having a 3 core is better then a 2 core for gamers planing a build, and that was an article over 6 months old. I just see it as, If your looking for something to last you a year then go with the cheaper one. If you want it to last you 2 years, go with the quad and overclock it. I would be frugal at the moment though because if your looking for something on the cheap the i5's will be silly in price in 6 months and the performance of a E8400 at 4.0GHZ looks silly next to an i5 750 at 4.0ghz and I would almost think that the i5 is easier to overclock!